While there were a few lulls and repetitive dances sprinkled throughout this piece, I appreciate the fact that they made dance thrilling for people of all ages. A woman sitting next to me commented on how entranced she was by their dancing despite the fact that she doesn't typically enjoy dance. Wonderful work!

They kept my attention until the very end, for I was afraid I'd miss something! The ending is surprising and the entire performance was engaging. The dancing was stunning and the acting was spot on. These people took their roles and pushed it to a whole other level.

After a full day of work I came to this show dragging, but it revived me! How do people dance in classical ballet style after they've become zombies ? How do people run away from zombies in a classical ballet style? See this show and find out! What a hoot!

Not only is it a great dance piece but it’s a damn fine horror piece. It might actually be the goriest thing I’ve seen this Fringe! And man do I love gore...also, this is the perfect venue for such a thing. I think of The Southern doing 2 things very well: dance and TCHF. This show would not be out of place in October’s line up, just saying. Green Zombie eats all our hearts out!

I loved the concept of this show and overall enjoyed it. It's apparent that there are a variety of dance levels in this group, and the couple ones that lack that technical training and stage presence are very apparent (and distracting to the show, unfortunately). Most of the dancers had decent training and blended in. As others have said, patient zero was amazing. She really used her body and body movements well to portray herself as a zombie. I would love to see this remounted with a more "evenly cast" group and then I think it would do amazingly.

It was fun to see a classical ballet performance with a funny twist. The dancers were good and even though this story was told only through dance, it was fast paced, coherent and included LOL moments. I especially enjoyed the last musical piece which was appropriate to close the show with.

I'm not into Zombies but was really curious about combining them with classical ballet. That part made for extra fun but this story lacked in execution. I don't mind simple choreography, but if the dancers can't even do that much, it detracts. And if the dancers are novice, then some acting chops or stage presence could have still gone a long way. It was particularly noticeable, as some were very good, so the overall effect was up and down - from enjoying the performance to sudden distraction that a dancer didn't know her steps. Perhaps some are indeed very new to dance, so this then became a studio recital, giving lots of stage experience to all.

Loved the zombie dance segments. Worth the ticket price just for that. But I agree with others. If there were more traditional theatrical elements (like characterizations or some acting), the tone of the piece could have been made more clear. Was it supposed to be plain old horror? A campy mashup of genres? Even so, worth checking out and following.

The premise is solid and filled with so much opportunity, but unfortunately many of those opportunities are missed. The choreography doesn't seem well-catered to many of the dancers' skills and doesn't change nearly as radically as the story, and the scene transitions aren't choreographed at all so they lack urgency immediately and interrupt the momentum of the story.
Some of the dancers, particularly the shorter bridesmaid and the green wedding guest, a astounding to watch: crisp technique, powerful movement, and confidence in their performance to own up towards what the show intended. Ultimately, however, a director and not more skilled dancers is what this production needed to reach its potential.

I went in expecting to watch a story about zombies told through 'classic' ballet, but what I saw was so much better: the zombie dancers lurch and crawl, there is a desperate fight scene (with weapons!) and a twist at the end so unexpected I literally exclaimed out loud when it happened. It's true that the Bride and Patient Zero stand out for their ability and commitment, but I didn't feel that the less skilled dancers took anything away from the show. I really enjoyed myself!

So delightful! The dancers are very talented and the choreography just beautiful. The story is told through each carefully crafted movement, and the music carries you to the very last...bite. Don’t miss this!

This show has a great concept but unfortunately it fell flat in execution. Simple choreography left me wanting more. There were dancers with poor technique and other dancers that stood out. I found myself watching one or two dancers the whole time. These dancers stood out by not only there extensions and beautiful technique but also their acting. Doing a dance with a story, you have to have acting behind it, or it will fall flat. I didn't always feel the emotion behind the dancers. The simple choreography would have worked for me if I could have seen a bit more emotional connection with the story from the dancers.

I loved the. Concept, and the dances involving the zombies were my favorite part. Some of the choreography was very simple, but some of the dancers seemed to be barely capable of the basic steps, or lacked energy. I likes the added tufting and other modern moves, but they were few and far between. The dancers that were fully committed were wonderful, particularly the first zombie in the green dress.

We are not dance people. We usually steer well clear of dance shows. This was was intriguing, piqued our interest and was indeed better than some, with a unique take on ballet and a little bit of a plot. I'll echo others on lauding Patient Zero who was an excellent actress and dancer. Not our thing really, but could see how it could be somebody's.

I loved this show. Zombies and ballet sounds like two flavors that do not belong together at all. This show combines them brilliantly. The performance of all the cast was great. Patient zero, you nailed it. WOW!

For a show whose only sounds from the performers were two shreiking women and the groom shouting No, there was quite a story told here. We went in expecting more zombie action than pirouettes, and perhaps thought this might be comedic. Far from it. Excellent music and choreography. As a first show, to be fair, the dancing itself was flat, and at times, out of synch. Which pulled my rating down, as the show was all dance. That said, I would echo that Amber, "Patient Zero" really stood out as a dancer and menacing presence. Amber just needed some steadiness on those one-foot moves. And as the bride, Persephone did a good-to-excellent job throughout, as the real featured performer.

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Cast and Crew

Persephone Ma

Bride
Persephone trained at The Washington School of Ballet and has performed in their productions of Midsummer Night's Dream, Coppelia, and The Nutcracker (of course) before switching to modern dance and choreography. She went back to her ballet roots in college and was Executive Director of her school's ballet company, The University Ballet of Chicago, for two years. After graduation, she danced with Mazi Dance Chicago but has since been dormant. She's currently a soil science PhD student at the University of Minnesota and is so grateful for the opportunity to continue dancing and performing!

Jacob Waldo

Groom
Jacob Waldo currently works as a dancer (hip hop, lyrical and ballet), model and actor. Jacob started taking dance classes in all styles of dance and competing in various dance competitions in 2013 in Bismarck, North Dakota. In July 2014 he took second place overall in his division at the Star Power International Dance Competition in Las Vegas. Since moving to Minnesota in January 2016, he’s performed in two ballet productions; Graduation Ball with the St. Paul Ballet and The Nutcracker with Pas de Duex Dance Studio as well as performed various dance styles in the Holi-Daydream production put on by the Minnesota Dance Collaborative. Jacob choreographed and performed several dances in the Generation Z project. In 2016 Jacob began training with the Asian Media Access dance team and performed traditional Japanese dances at the 2017 Pan Asian Festival. In July 2017 he travelled to Taiwan and performed in several hip hop numbers at the YiLan International Children's Festival. Jacob has trained with Preston Stockert, the St. Paul Ballet, Zenon School of Dance, as well as participated in workshops with Tight Eyez, Boo-Dilla, Koncrete, Matt Steffaninia, and BBoy Wicket.

Azeta Garthune

Bridesmaid
Azeta Garthune spends her week days as a Marketing Strategist, but spends most of her nights and weekends in the ballet studio. Azeta began dancing as a child with a local Guatemalan folkloric dance group for the annual Festival of Nations celebration. From 2007-2011 she co-founded and managed a Guatemalan culture and dance program for youth, and a touring adult dance group called Danza Quetzal. The highlight of that experience was performing for Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum at the 2010 Peace Jam conference in Minneapolis. Azeta took her first ballet class at Zenon Dance School as an adult in 2012 and she is excited for her first performance in Zombie's and Pirouettes!

Wynne Wrede

Bridesmaid
Wynne began her dance training at the age of 5 and has had many wonderful teachers over the years, including Maylu Pena, Tatiana Berenova, and Elaine Kudo of the Washington Ballet. She has been dancing in companies across the Twin Cities since the fall of 2015, and has had the opportunity to perform in many shows including Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty and many more. She hopes to continue dancing as she moves to Fargo, ND.

Jennifer Crist

Wedding Guest
Jennifer A. Crist is a dancer, choreographer and teacher in the Twin Cities. She currently teaches and coaches competitive studio teams and is the Resident Choreographer at Minnetonka Theatre.

Greta Rudolph

Wedding Guest
Greta has trained at Ballet Arts Minnesota and the Zenon Dance Zone Program. Recently, she has worked with choreographers Kathryn Dudley and Alexandra Bodnarchuk.

Nitara Williams

Wedding Guest
Nitara attends Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists (SPCPA). Nitara is an Illustrative Artist and enjoys graffiti and creating drawings in that media as a hobby. Choreography is something Nitara is becoming more familiar with as well as creating in her spare time. She loves to dance whenever she gets in the mood.

Amanda Zoerhof

Wedding Guest
Amanda Zoerhof was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She received her early dance training at Ballet Arts Minnesota and high school dance training at Ballet Royale MN. She also trained at various summer intensives including the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Alvin Ailey, and Alonzo King LINES Programs. During 2013, she apprenticed with Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota and performed in various feature roles. In spring of 2017, she graduated with a BFA in dance from Cornish College of the Arts. During her time there, she performed in works by Amy O’Neal, Veronica Lee-Baik, Kiyon Gaines, Gerard Theoret, and Kyle Abraham.

More Information

Zombies and Pirouettes is the most fun ballet has ever had.

A daring group of dancers has come together to bring you a complete reinvention of the story ballet with blood, screaming, and plenty of monster mayhem.

Did we mention the dancing zombies?

Our story starts at a remote mountain-top resort where a young couple prepares for blessed nuptials. At the height of celebration, everything goes to hell when it turns out the stumbly wedding guest isn't just drunk, SHE'S A ZOMBIE!! In the absolute chaos of trying to avoid being bittten, the newlyweds are separated. Outside in the cold, and without cell reception, the remaining survivors try to find help and each other. Meanwhile, the calculating zombies slowly cull the humans. Will the bride and groom make it back to each other alive?